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I built this rack so I could haul canoes, lumber, ladders, etc. It has served me very well over the years. It is ~ 7-feet long and about 3-feet wide.

It is made with Mahogany lumber, sealed with epoxy and painted with semi-flat paint to 1) protect the epoxy from UV and 2) match the styling. I used old firehose to serve as padding on the crossbars. It is set in silicon caulk and stapled with s/s staples (via pneumatic gun).

I used S/S lag screws and fender washers from below (after removing roof liner) to fasten each corner.

Rack was set in 3M 5200 to serve as both an adhesive and a sealant.

There is a total of 8 nylon cleats. I always keep a couple lengths of 1/4-inch nylon line in the vehicle - along with enough cash to pick up those canoes I just can't live without.....

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"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles."
—Jeff Cooper, The Art of the Rifle

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Nice work! I just bought an E and was thinking along similar lines. My car does not have OEM roof rails....and I dont like adding a roof basket on top of the rails because I think the basket would be riding too high. So I was thinking about 6 thick rubber mounts with the roof cage through bolted down through cage and rubber mounts with nuts and washers on the inside like u did. First not....my car is an 03 with 180k on it....so drilling into this older car wont hurt so much. Questions for you........

Did the roof liner remove easily????
Did u reinstall the roof liner?
Did u consider just leaving the roof liner in place and poking holes in it for the bolts and washers?
Does the roof have good strength throughout or does it get thin and pliable in certain areas?
I will be installing a large roof basket with extension.....
I will be careful enough to mount it high enough for the sunroof to open....and I will try to use the existing mounting points if possible...but again I want it to be low on the roof.